Long hours undercover pay off big
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| ABOVE: Dixon Police officers gather evidence after taking three people into custody during a recent drug bust on the city's north end. |
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DIXON - The tape spooled slowly inside the audio cassette, recording the slapping of boots against concrete and the nervous breathing of a man waiting for his drugs to arrive. Three men sat in an undercover vehicle parked at a distance, watching the outline of the man and listening over a police "wire." Their suspect was late.
"I've got a bad feeling about this one," Franklin Grove Police Chief Tom Lehman told his colleagues, Dixon Detective Sgt. Dan Langloss and Lee County State's Attorney Paul Whitcombe.
Lehman rolled a black stocking cap down to just above his eyes and peered through the rear window of the undercover vehicle.
"There's our Pontiac right there," Lehman said, as a van finally drove up to the parking lot.
The three men listened as the driver apologized to the informant for being late before exchanging an ounce and a half of marijuana for cash.
For months, police have repeated similar undercover drug operations, slowly building cases. Over the past several weeks, police concluded the investigation with a dozen arrests.
Over the course of the investigation, officers searched a suspect's home with the help of a drug-sniffing dog to find drug paraphernalia. A school administrator and police officer found ecstasy pills in a student's locker. Officers arrested two suspects at a Sterling home after drawing the suspects there under the ruse of threatening to have their car towed.
In all, Sauk Valley area police arrested a dozen suspected drug dealers as part of "Operation Joint Endeavor."
The operation's name comes from the cooperation between the Lee County Sheriff's Department, Dixon, Amboy, Franklin Grove and Sterling police departments and the Lee County State's Attorney's Office.
The Lee County-focused operation was similar in many ways to "Operation Sanitation," which ended with the arrest of more than 30 drug suspects from across the Sauk Valley about a year ago.
By making the arrests in one sweep, police hope to significantly dent the local drug trade in the Lee County area by disrupting the supply chain, officers said.
"The more chaos for them, the better for us," said Dixon Police Chief Gary Coppotelli.
Among those arrested in Operation Joint Endeavor were two females and 10 males, aged 16 to 49, from Sterling, Dixon and Franklin Grove.
"Now that many of the drug dealers in Dixon have been arrested, officers will have more time to focus on those who remain. Officers will also begin a more aggressive pursuit of drug users," Dixon police said in a news release.
Police say drugs are the root of many other crimes such as theft, burglary and many acts of violence. By arresting dealers, police know they're doing more than just slowing drug use.
Making the arrests
On Feb. 21, police watched as the two cars pulled up next to each other at a Dixon gas station. Hand on his radio, Langloss and a total of 11 other Dixon officers and Lee County deputies listened in on the suspect's conversation, primed to make an arrest.
After giving the signal, Langloss swerved his car into traffic and in front of the suspect's car, while other officers - their guns drawn and pointed down toward the road - ordered the car's three occupants, aged 16, 17 and 18, to put their arms in the air. Even in a low-risk operation such as this one, police take full precautions, Sgt. Mike Wolfley said.
If the suspects posed more of a threat, officers would have been even more aggressive, Wolfley said. For instance, when arresting suspects with a history of violence, police are ready with rifles rather than handguns, Wolfley said.
Before making this arrest, Langloss stationed an officer near a local elementary school and told him to watch for the suspect's vehicle to drive by. After police arrested Eric Frey, 17, of Dixon, they charged him with possession of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana with intent to deliver within 1,000 feet of a school, a Class 2 felony, as well as other, less serious felonies. Frey was charged with the Class 2 felony because he possessed the marijuana as he drove past the school. It is one tactic police use to build as strong a case as possible against drug suspects, Langloss said.
Several of those arrested during the operation were high school students, including a pair of students accused of intending to sell ecstasy. Police are looking to clean up Dixon High School to keep classrooms as drug-free as possible, Coppotelli said.
Arrests feed more arrests
Drug operations feed off each other, with former defendants agreeing to become informants and leading to more arrests. Key to the timely investigations has been cooperation with Whitcombe and judges at the courthouse who will sometimes come at all times of night to issue arrest warrants.
The biggest problem faced during many of the operations is the unreliability of suspects.
Police often end up in "hurry up and wait situation" when working undercover, said Amboy Sgt. Jeff Blake as he waited during one such investigation. Drug dealers are notoriously tardy.
"They don't keep regular office hours," Blake said. "They're not prompt on appointments."
Waiting can be more than a nuisance, it can have a direct effect on manpower. The Dixon City Council has been supportive, and approved thousands of dollars in overtime expenses, Coppotelli said.
When the public sees results, they're also more likely to call in tips, resulting in more arrests, he said.
The results have been tangible. Back in 2000 and 2001, Dixon police could make two to four "controlled buys" a night in drug operations, Langloss said. Now police are lucky to find one.
One month, 12 arrests: An Operation Joint Endeavor timeline
How it went down
Over the course of a month, Sauk Valley area police arrested a dozen suspected drug dealers as part of "Operation Joint Endeavor," which included the Lee County Sheriff's Department, Dixon, Amboy, Franklin Grove and Sterling police departments and the Lee County State's Attorney's Office.
Jan. 30 - Lee County deputies arrested Thomas J. Voss, 49, 305 North Lincoln Ave., Dixon, at 2:30 p.m., following a joint investigation with Dixon police. Voss was charged with delivering cocaine to an informant on several occasions.
Feb. 20 - At 11 a.m., the Dixon Police Department Tactical Response Team searched the home of Amy Smith, 718 Douglas Ave., Dixon. Smith was charged with allegedly selling cocaine to an informant on several occasions. Officers also arrested Samuel W. McPeak, 29, same address, and charged him with possession of a controlled substance (cocaine) and possession of drug paraphernalia after allegedly finding a small amount of cocaine in the home.
Feb. 21 - Working with the Lee County Sheriff's Department, Dixon officers conducted a "controlled purchase" of marijuana in the 1900 block of Lowell Park Road. Once the transaction was completed, officers headed off the suspect's black Chevy Lumina and arrested the occupants. Dixon residents Eric R. Frey, 17, 100 Green Ash Drive, and Brandon D. Roberts, 18, 418 Bradshaw, and a 16-year-old boy, were charged with selling marijuana. Officers said they found 40 grams on Frey; further investigation led them to Robert's home, where they said they found 46 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
At 10:50 a.m., as he arrived at his home, Dixon police and Lee County deputies arrested Louis D. SchwartzIV, 19, 819 Hemlock Ave., Dixon, on a warrant for allegedly selling cocaine.
Feb. 22 - After a 10 a.m. briefing at the police station, Dixon officers and Lee County deputies went to the home of Shawn Norment, 31, 813 Jackson Ave., Dixon. At 11:55 a.m., they arrested him and charged him with allegedly selling marijuana to an informant in October and December 2006.
At about 1:40 p.m., Lee County deputies and Dixon officers met with Sterling police and came up with a plan to arrest Sterling residents Peter Alba, 49, 206 W. Fifth St., and Gary Stern, 46, both wanted for allegedly selling cocaine in the Dixon area. Officers found Stern's vehicle parked near an alley next to the apartment complex at 206 W. Fifth St., called him and told him his vehicle would be towed if did not get it moved. With the help of a local towing company, two Dixon officers waited in a tow truck near the vehicle while other officers conducted surveillance in the area. While they were waiting for Stern, Alba arrived in his maroon Pontiac van and parked behind the residence, where officers took him into custody. Police said they found a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia on him.
Stern arrived at about 3:40 p.m. in a red Ford Mustang. With guns ready, Tactical Response Team members arrested him in his vehicle.
Feb. 23 - At 8:35 a.m., a search of Courtney R. Schmall's Dixon High School locker - the result of a joint investigation by School Resource Officer Jason LaMendola and a school administrator - yielded nine ecstasy pills. Schmall, 17, 1201 W. Sixth St., was charged with possessing ecstasy with the intent to deliver.
At 6:30 p.m., Detective Steven Howell received a call from an informant who said he'd gotten threatening phone calls from Frey. After investigating, police arrested Frey at 8:45 p.m. at his home and charged him with harassing a witness, a Class 2 felony.
Feb. 24 - Franklin Grove Police Chief Tom Lehman stopped Jeffrey E. Saloga, 19, at 5:45 p.m. in a car in front of his Franklin Grove home, 105 N. Elm St., and arrested him for allegedly selling marijuana to an informant, the result of an investigation by Dixon, Franklin Grove and Amboy police and Lee County deputies.
Feb. 27 - At 10:30 a.m., Dixon police arrested a 17-year-old boy who had sold ecstasy to a police informant; he was charged as a juvenile because he was 16 when the alleged sale was made.
The suspects and charges
The following is a list of the charges that resulted from "Operation Joint Endeavor", provided by Dixon police:
* Thomas J. Voss: Two counts of delivery of a controlled substance (cocaine) within 1,000 feet of a park, a Class X felony. Voss is in Lee County jail on $100,000 bond.
* Amy D. Smith: Three counts of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a protected area, a Class 1 felony; two counts of unlawful delivery of controlled substance, a Class 2 felony; and two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony. She is in Lee County jail on $150,000 bond.
* Eric R. Frey: Possession of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana with intent to deliver within 1,000 feet of a school, a Class 2 felony; delivery of 30 to 500 grams marijuana, a Class 3 felony; and possession of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana, a Class 4 felony. Frey was released after posting $5,000 bond. He was arrested again Feb. 23 and charged with harassment of a witness, a Class 2 felony. He posted $25,000 bond and was released Feb. 25.
* Brandon D. Roberts: Possession of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana with intent to deliver, a Class 3 felony; possession of 30 to 500 grams, a Class 4 felony; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class A misdemeanor. He posted $2,000 bond.
* 16-year-old boy: Possession of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana with intent to deliver within 1,000 feet of a school, a Class 2 felony; delivery of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana, a Class 3 felony; and possession of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana, a Class 4 felony. He also was charged with DUI/drugs. He was released to his mother.
* Louis Dylan Grauman Schwartz IV: Delivery of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school, a Class X felony; delivery of cocaine, a Class 1 felony; and possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), a Class 4 felony. He is in Lee County jail on $100,000 bond.
* Shawn Norment: Two counts of delivery of 10 to 30 grams of marijuana, a Class 4 felony; and two counts of possession of 10 to 30 grams of marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor. He is in Lee County jail on $150,000 bond.
* Peter Alba: Delivery of a controlled substance (cocaine) within 1,000 feet of a park, a Class X felony; two counts of delivery of a controlled substance (cocaine) within 1,000 feet of a church, a Class X felony; delivery of a controlled substance (cocaine), a Class 1 felony; possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), a Class 1 felony, delivery of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school, a Class 2 felony; delivery of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana, a Class 3 felony; possession of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana, a Class 4 felony; delivery of 10 to 30 grams of marijuana, a Class 4 felony; and possession of 10 to 30 grams of marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor. He is in Lee County jail on $100,000 bond.
* Gary Stern: Criminal drug conspiracy, a Class X felony; delivery of 30 to 500 grams of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school, a Class 2 felony; delivery of 30 to 500 grams marijuana, a Class 3 felony; possession of 30 to 500 grams marijuana, a Class 4 felony; delivery of 10 to 30 grams marijuana, a Class 4 felony' and possession of 10 to 30 grams marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor. He is in Lee County jail on $250,000 bond.
* Jeffrey E. Saloga: Two counts of delivery of 10 to 30 grams of marijuana, a Class 4 felony; and two counts of possession of 10 to 30 grams marijuana, a Class A misdemeanor. He is in Lee County jail on $50,000 bond.
* 17-year-old boy: Juvenile charges of delivery of a controlled substance (ecstasy), a Class 2 Felony; and possession of a controlled substance (ecstasy), a Class 4 Felony. He was released to his parents.
* Courtney R. Schmall: Possession of a controlled substance (ecstasy) with intent to deliver within 1,000 feet of a school, a Class 1 felony; possession of a controlled substance (ecstasy) with intent to delivery, a Class 2 felony; and possession of a controlled substance, a Class A misdemeanor. She is in Lee County Jail on $20,000 bond.
The penalties
Potential penalties for felony convictions by class.
Class X: Six to 30 years
Class 1: Four to 15 years
Class 2: Three to seven years
Class 3: Two to five years
Class 4: One to three years
Misdemeanor charges in Illinois carry potential jail terms of up to one year in jail.
Source: Office of the Illinois Attorney General
Reach Jim Butts at (815) 625-3600, (815) 284-2222 or (800) 798-4085, ext. 570.
